The man in charge of USA Basketball once owned the Suns and the Diamondbacks, the WNBA's Mercury, and the arena league's Rattlers. He was also responsible for bringing the NHL to Phoenix. But if you were to say something nasty to his mom, Jerry Colangelo wasn't always above behaving like some beer-soaked barfly in Sahuarita.

It's been 20 years since the Suns got to the NBA finals in their first season after trading for Charles Barkley. But that run had added significance for Colangelo. Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, he began his front-office career with the Bulls before taking over as the Suns' first GM. He later bought the team in 1987.